1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel metal oxide magnetic substance, a magnetic film consisting thereof, and their uses as magneto optical recording medium and perpendicular magnetic recording medium.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, magneto optical recording mediums designed to carry out magnetic recording by the use of semi-conductor laser beam have been studied and developed so as to be used for high density recording purposes. Usually, the magnetic substances used in magneto optical recording mediums were mostly occupied by those consisting of amorphous alloys made of rare earth metals and transition metals. The preparation of magneto optical recording mediums using such amorphous alloy magnetic substances was carried out generally in the manner of adhering said magnetic substance, for instance Tb-Fe alloy, on a substrate such as glass plate by vacuum vapordeposition, sputtering or the like in the degree of about 0.1-1 .mu.m in thickness to form a magnetic film. The thus obtained magneto optical recording medium is recorded and regenerated as mentioned below. That is, recording is carried out in the manner of radiating the laser beam modulated with a divalent signal, making use of the rapid variation characteristic of a coercive force corresponding to the temperature variation in the neighborhood of the Curie temperature or compensation temperature of the magnetic film, on the magnetic film and heating same, thus inverting the direction of magnetization. Regeneration is carried out by reading out making use of the difference in magneto optical effects of the thus inversion-recorded magnetic film. The photomagnetic recording material using aforesaid amorphous alloy magnetic substance is advantageous in that it can be recorded at high speed (frequency=1 MHz) by means of a semiconductor laser beam because it is of a high recording sensitivity, but is heavily disadvantageous in that the magneto optical characteristic of the magnetic film deteriorates with a lapse of time because the amorphous alloy magnetic substance, in particular the rare earth metal component, is subject to oxidizing corrosion. In order to prevent this, it is known to provide a protective layer consisting of an oxide such as SiO, SiO.sub.2 or a nitride such as TiN, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 on an amorphous magnetic film by means of vacuum vapordeposition, sputtering or the like as in the preparation of the magnetic film, but this is inadvantageous in that at the time of preparing the magnetic film or the protective layer, the magnetic film is oxidized and corroded by O.sub.2 remaining in the vacuum, O.sub.2, H.sub.2 O or the like adsorbed to the surface of the substrate, and O.sub.2, H.sub.2 O or the like contained in the target consisting of the alloy magnetic substance with a lapse of time and pin holes are occurred, and further the oxidizing corrosion is enhanced by the light and heat at the time of recording. Further, the amorphous magnetic substance is disadvantageous in that it is liable to be crystalized by heat and therefore its magnetic characteristic is liable to be deteriorated. Still further, the reflection type Faraday system which comprises thickening the magnetic film as much as possible, providing a reflective film of Cu, Al, Pt, Au or the like thereon, radiating the laser beam on the magnetic film and permeating it therethrough, thereafter reflecting said beam from the magnetic film at the reflective film, and detecting this reflected beam has been proposed as the regeneration system for enhancing the regeneration output. The Faraday system is surely profitable in that a high S/N signal can be obtained, but the conventional amorphous magnetic film could not be used in this system because said magnetic film is inferior in transmittancy.